Breakdown of Kupuję kilo ziemniaków.
kupować
to buy
ziemniak
potato
kilo
kilo (spoken short form of kilogram)
Questions & Answers about Kupuję kilo ziemniaków.
Why is the word for potatoes ziemniaków here instead of ziemniaki?
After words indicating a quantity or measure, like kilo, you must use the genitive case. Since you are buying a kilo of multiple potatoes, it takes the genitive plural form ziemniaków.
The dictionary says the verb for to buy is kupować. How does that become kupuję?
Verbs ending in -ować follow a special pattern. When you conjugate them in the present tense, the -owa- part changes to -uj-. So, kupować becomes the stem kupuj-, and for the I form, you add the standard ending -ę to get kupuję.
Does the word kilo change its ending depending on its role in the sentence?
No, kilo is a handy exception in Polish! It is an indeclinable word, meaning it never changes its spelling regardless of the grammatical case. If you use the full word kilogram instead, that word does change endings normally.
Is kupuję an imperfective or perfective verb?
It is imperfective, meaning it describes an ongoing or repeated action like I am buying or I buy. The perfective version for a completed action is kupić. Since this sentence is happening right now in the present tense, it uses the imperfective form.
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